Fangirl Footnotes
by Jedi Trace
Summary: 2nd EU-centric response to a 20-week drabble challenge. Skywalker family, LEGACY comics, SW comics character heavy.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Fangirl Footnotes

**Timeframe**: Various  
**Characters**: Various (LEGACY comics era heavy)  
**Genre**: Star Wars  
**Summary**: Written for a Drabble Challenge in 2009 in which a set of five words was assigned each week for twenty weeks. The assigned words are in bold type before each drabble.

**A/N**: Most of these are canon-compliant, but some are AU, some are serious, some are sad, some are humor and some are just plain ridiculous. I hope you enjoy the variety! :)

Week 1: Mara, OC, Luke  
Week 2: Skywalkers  
Week 3: Ganner Krieg  
Week 4: Various  
Week 5: Zayne, Jarael  
Week 6: _Mynock_ crew  
Week 7: Mara Jade  
Week 8: Luke, Tionne, Ben  
Week 9: Morrigan Corde  
Week 10: Talon, Shada  
Week 11: Artoo, various  
Week 12: Celeste, Zayne, Cade  
Week 13: Luke, Mara, Ben  
Week 14: Starkiller/Juno  
Week 15: Various AUs  
Week 16: Skywalker family  
Week 17: Jariah, Deliah  
Week 18: Deliah Blue  
Week 19: Cade, Mara  
Week 20: Various

* * *

**Week 1: **_**Green**_

(Mara, OC, Luke)

**Flash in the pan**

"Oooh..._fancy_."

"Quiet," Mara Jade snapped, working the tip of her lightsaber around the delicate edge of a ticking incendiary device.

"Time is a factor, Jade."

"I said, quiet!" A bead of sweat dripped from Mara's forehead, splash-hissing on her blade. One more slice exposed the tangled wire innards and she cut the fuse, sitting back on her heels with a sigh of relief.

"Shall I applaud?" a voice asked dryly. "I suppose Master Skywalker taught you that in your _private _sessions."

"Look, Greer," Mara stood abruptly, facing the younger woman. "If you have a problem with me, just say it!"

**Out on a limb**

"Yeah, I have a problem." Greer planted her fists firmly on her slim hips. "I've been studying here with Master Skywalker for years. _Years_! And I just now passed my trials. You show up and get Knighted in what? A month?"

"It's a little more involved than that," Mara answered, forcing calm into her voice.

"Involved," Greer snorted, cutting her off. "What'd you do - sleep your way into the Order?"

"_What_?"

"You heard me. Everyone knows you got your Knighthood in the Master's bed."

"Everyo-" Mara sputtered. "We're engaged!"

Greer stomped away, almost hiding the jealousy in her eyes.

**Out of the blue**

Mara slammed the door to Luke's office. "I can't work with Greer."

"We've talked about this Mara," Luke answered, thumbing through files in his desk drawer. "I know she can be difficult, but she trained with CorSec and she's the best person for this job."

"She has a crush on you."

Luke's hands froze over the files. "Say again?"

"She has. A crush. On you."

Wordlessly, Luke sat back in his chair.

"Oh, don't look at me like that. Did you honestly think that you - the most eligible bachelor in the sector - would not have female admirers among your students?"

**Wet behind the ears**

Footsteps pounded in pursuit across the rooftop and Greer skidded to a halt at the edge, the folds of her cloak billowing in the violent winds. The stairway was in shambles and there was no way off the roof - just a sheer drop fifty stories down. "We're trapped!" she screamed into the night.

"Hold on!" A strong arm grabbed her and she was falling, the duracrete side of the building flashing past.

They landed with a thump as Mara retracted her grappling hook. "And no," she said, pulling Greer to her feet. "Master Skywalker did _not _teach me _that_."

**Heat of the moment**

"Here."

Mara turned from the greasy fuselage, banging her hydrospanner in the process. Greer was standing in front of her, holding out a holocube. "What's that?"

"A wedding gift," Greer answered. "It's holos. Of Master Skywalker." Blushing, she studied the clasp on her sleeve intently. "I've been collecting them over the years and...I think you should have them."

Wiping her hands on her pants, Mara took the cube awkwardly and cleared her throat. "I, um...don't know what to say."

Greer speared her with an exasperated stare. "Just say thank you and take the damn thing before I change my mind."


	2. Week 2

**Week 2: **_**Skywalker Plus One**_

(Luke/Mara, Ben/?) (LEGACY comics era: Nat/Droo, Kol/Morrigan, Cade/Azlyn)

**Impossible**

Kol Skywalker stared at his wife in disbelief, a snake of cold horror winding through his gut. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying," she answered hoarsely, "that it's time for me to leave. This isn't working and we both know it. I've been called back to the Empire...and there's no place for me in your Jedi life."

"No _place?_" Kol took her arm, pulling her away from the viewport. "We made promises to each other. We have a _son._ We can make it work, Morrigan."

She shook her head slowly. "I wish I could believe that."

**Unlikely** (Spoilers for Legacy issue #34)

They'd been teenagers when he'd called her his girl. Perched high in their tree, he'd given her the purple flower that she'd wrapped around her finger, the symbol of a promise they'd sworn they weren't too young to make.

He stared at her now. She wasn't a beauty like the woman waiting for him back on the ship, but she was warm and familiar and she was supposed to be his. She wasn't supposed to be dying in bacta, ready to join the Force.

Kark it, she was supposed to be _his!_ Cade Skywalker slammed his fist through the wall.

**Reasonable**

It was only logical, Ben Skywalker reasoned. They'd been friends for years and it was just a dance. A charity event to benefit orphans of the war. It wasn't like it was a _date_ or anything.

He picked up the comm, was promptly overcome by thirst, and put it back down to gulp an entire container of water.

All right, he shook himself and picked up the comm again. She's just a friend...who happened to be pretty...and she already told him she wanted to go. So just ask her, right?

If only the comm would stop shaking in his hand.

**Probable**

"You don't have to look so smug, Skywalker," Mara said from the corner, sipping a vial of bubbling water.

Luke stood before the full length mirror with his shoulders squared and rocked on his toes as the taylor made final adjustments to his wedding suit.

"It's not like you _knew_ I would say 'yes'."

"Oh, I knew," Luke grinned.

"Did not. I absolutely saw you sweating."

"That was mist from the lake."

"I think the suit has made you senile."

"But you have to admit - it looks good."

She embraced him from behind. "Like you were born for it."

**Definite**

"So here's how it is, Droo."

She gazed up at the burly man with unkept white hair sticking out of his cap.

"I love ya and I want to spend my life with you. I wanna raise your daughter as mine and us to be a family. But you need to know: I got baggage."

"We all got baggage, Den."

"Name's not Den. It's Nat. Nat _Skywalker._ And I'm a wanted man."

His hands trembled around hers and his eyes were wary - afraid that she would walk away but imploring her to stay. And she loved him even more.


	3. Week 3

**Week 3: **_**Final Straw**_

(Ganner Krieg - spoilers for the VECTOR issues of _Legacy comics_)

**Truth**

Reaching behind the chestplate of his crimson armor, Ganner Krieg pulled out the holo he'd kept there for three? – four years? It was Azlyn, smiling in the sunlight.

Three? Four days? Was that how long it had been since he'd seen her? He'd heard the clash of lightsabers first, then shouts. Azlyn and Skywalker. He ran to her, but they weren't fighting when he arrived. She was in his arms, locked in a lover's embrace. The embrace she'd withheld from Ganner, though he'd have given his life for her.

She might as well have plunged her saber into his heart.

**Trust**

They'd found her in an spacer cantina – a waif-thin waitress with skittish eyes, always looking around, behind.

When an ominous, robed figure entered the bar, she dropped her tray. A Sith Inquisitor. They'd been prominent a century before and the Usurper had revived them to hunt and kill remaining Jedi after the massacre at Ossus. Dressed in full Imperial Knight armor, he and Draco were not ignored, but they were untouched.

The Inquisitor noticed the girl at the same time that she grabbed his arm in desperation. "Take me with you. _Please!_"

He felt the Force in her. And terror.

**Honor**

From that day on, she had never wavered in her devotion to the principles of the Imperial Knights. Ganner's own former master completed her training and he watched and waited - waited until her training was complete and she was of age.

His feelings grew, but he never touched her. He kept his devotion in check and treated her with the utmost respect. She was the brightest spot in his life and he loved her from afar.

She never talked about her Jedi training. Never talked about anyone at all from Ossus. She'd certainly never mentioned that low-life addict, Skywalker.

**Loyalty**

She never questioned her assignment to find Skywalker and lead her fellow Knights to the Jedi's secret temple. Skywalker accused her of betrayal, but it was no such thing. She'd completed her assignment. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Looking back, it had been a mistake to allow her to return to the Jedi temple. Just seeing her old Master, something started to change in her. Something he was powerless to prevent.

It was their fault, the Jedi. They hadn't judged, but they'd asked questions. Raised doubts.

She had never doubted before. She was too good for that. Too good for them.

**Love**

And now they had taken her. That blue-skinned Jedi and Skywalker. They had taken her from him and he was powerless once again.

But it would not always be so. Ganner ran his finger over his lightsaber's activation switch and let the anger build, no longer keeping his heart in check.

He'd find her and get her back. And if Skywalker had caused her any pain with just one of his filthy hands…

Draco appeared, no doubt sensing his anger. "Ganner, what -"

"If he's harmed her." Ganner thumbed the silver blade of his saber to life. "I'll kill him."


	4. Week 4

**Week 4: **_**Fire and Ice**_

(Zeltrons)

**Gaze**

Cade would catch her watching him and turn away. She could say more with her eyes than most sentients could say with a lifetime of words and he couldn't run. Not from her. She would implore him and he'd slam the door in her face. She'd chastise him and he'd yell, though she hadn't said a word. Her violet eyes would fill with his pain and he'd shove her aside, his body and soul aching for one more vial of relief. Just one more hit. Then she wouldn't look at him at all. And he hated that more than anything.

**Wink**

Luke often wondered what would happen if he said 'yes.' She was beautiful and she wanted him - it wouldn't be a crime for him to want the same thing. He was young, unattached. There was no reason why her little wink shouldn't twist his gut in delightful ways.

She would sit beside him, so close that he could smell her hair and he'd dip his head until his bangs fell over his face. Her crimson hand would rest on his knee and slide up his thigh and he wondered what if - just once - he didn't stop her.

**Distant**

Jax watched her from a distance and, even from afar, he would feel her beckoning. She wore her desire like the shimmering gowns that barely concealed her feminine curves, and it was for him. Always for him.

She would make no visible move, but every eye in the room would turn, enraptured by an unspoken siren call from the woman with skin the color of flame. They couldn't help it. Beyond them, she would tilt her head just slightly and smile across the room. He had the Force and he most certainly could have resisted. He walked toward her instead.

**Cold as ice**

Mace had never met a harder woman. With black eyes full of hate and white skin cold as ice, she despised and reviled him. Eluded him. Hated him and all his kind with a loathing that defied reason.

Had her soul been so abused that she could find none of the warmth of her species in the depths of her heart? Had life been so unkind as to twist her natural passions into a deadly, spite-filled pike of anger that she wielded as forcefully as her weapons?

He would have extended his hand to her in healing. If he could.

**Eternal flame**

When the fighting was over, Cade would hold her in his arms. She would rest her head on his shoulder, her hair splayed across his chest, and he would stroke her bare skin and whisper that he was sorry when he knew that she was asleep.

No matter where he went, the demons would find him. The guilt and anger would claw at his soul, tearing him apart. He would push her away, then search frantically for her across the black void - until darkness fled before her light and, tangled in damp sheets, they would find each other again.


	5. Week 5

**Week 5: **_**Training Day**_

(KOTOR comics - Zayne, Jarael )

**Steps**

"It's more like feeling than thinking."

In the dim light of the cargo hold, Zayne sat cross-legged on the floor and watched as Jarael concentrated on pushing a group of ball bearings around with the Force. Her latent abilities had only recently been discovered and her brow furrowed in concentration at even this small task.

"Can you feel them?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," she answered hesitantly. The silver balls rolled all at once to left, piling up into a heap just briefly, before breaking apart and scattering around the room.

"But they're slippery," she said, opening her eyes in frustration.

**Stride**

"Better!"

She swung and he ducked, her shockstaff ruffling his hair as it spun over his head. They had sparred before and she had bested him, but that had been before they'd known who, or what, she could be. She'd been dangerous then, but now - with the Force - she could be deadly.

"Stretch out with your thoughts. Try to anticipate my next move," he said, wiping sweat from his forehead.

She parried his thrust twice before her staff clattered to the floor.

"That's good!" He grinned.

"Not good enough." She propped her hands on her hips. "You're still standing."

**Stumble**

"Push me."

"What?" Her blue eyes went wide.

"You've seen me do it before, Jarael. Imagine that the Force is a wall of water or a cannon blast coming from your hand," he explained. "I'm going to walk toward you and I want you to stop me, without touching me."

"Okay..." She raised her arm as he approached, but instead of stopping him, she flew backwards, crashing into the wall. He rushed forward to help her up, but she waved him aside, struggling to her feet.

"Ow," she groaned, rubbing her head gently. "I think I pushed the wrong way."

**Leap**

"Don't think. Feel!"

His lightsaber and her shockstaff were a blur, clashing over and over, neither of them able to strike a felling blow.

He swung and she countered.

He dove and she leapt.

He turned - - and slammed into a wall of Force from her outstretched palm that sent him flying.

In one swift move, she called his blade to her hand, kicked him to the floor and dropped to her knees, straddling him.

"This is familiar," she panted.

"Yeah," he swallowed, glancing down at his bare arms. "Just don't try to chop my arms off this time, okay?"

**Fall**

"Something's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," he answered. "It's just meditation. You're doing fine."

"I mean it, Zayne. It burns."

"Just relax. Let me help you." Sending calming waves through the Force, he stretched out to her -

- and she was on fire.

"Stop!" She backed away in panic.

The Force was burning around her, inside and out. "Help me..." she gasped.

He reached for her, tamping down his own fear. She started to fall and he pulled her close, wrapping his arms and power around her. "I've got you, Jarael. I'm here."

"What's…happening?..."

By the Force, he wished he knew.


	6. Week 6

**Week 6: **_**All's Fair In Love And...**_

(LEGACY comics - _Mynock_ crew, OCs)

**Gallant**

Jariah peered out the _Mynock's_ viewport, then flopped dejectedly into the co-pilot's seat. "I think I'd better stay on the ship."

"What you talkin' about? We're on Zeltros." Cade thumped him on the shoulder. "The _pleasure planet._ You kriffin' love it here."

"Thing is," Jariah ran his hand through his hair. "I kinda told Ahnah that I wouldn't...see...other girls. If you know what I mean."

Cade looked out into the hangar at the crowd beautiful women, some of which had already taken an interest in their arrival, then back at his friend. "Yeah buddy, you'd better stay on the ship."

**Filial**

"Oh, no you don't!" Deliah stomped into the cabin. "This is my family's centennial reunion and you both promised to come with me." Shoving Jariah's travel bag in his lap, she planted her finger in his chest. "You're the one who made that stoopa promise, so just keep yer pants on."

"That's harsh," he grumbled, tossing the bag over his shoulder. "I thought you was my friend."

Cade was waiting for them and palmed the hatch open when she approached with Jariah in tow.

Deliah glanced at him and did a double-take. "Did you _brush your hair?_" she asked incredulously.

**Vexation**

Among tents teeming with treats, Jariah planted himself at a sabacc table and Cade headed toward a drink when a striking young woman popped out of the crowd and hugged him generously. "Well, _hello_ there! You must be Cade. I'm Deliah's cousin, Deidre, and I have someone you have _got_ to meet," she said, grinning. "This is my brother - Dahn."

A tall red-skinned man joined them shook his hand enthusiastically. "Cade! You've finally come to visit!"

"Uh...right...Deidre?..."

He pulled his hand away and looked for Deidre but she was gone, replaced by a wall of smiling male relatives.

**Sublime**

He found Deliah with a group of swimsuit-clad ladies lounging around the pool. "_You did this!_" he growled, kneeling beside her.

"Did what, lover?" she asked drowsily.

Cade lowered his voice even further. "How'd you work it? Call ahead and make arrangements with your entire family?"

"Cade, dear!" a woman across the pool called. "Have you met Derrick, yet?"

"Ooooh, Derrick," Deliah cooed, sipping a fruit-colored drink. "I remember him from school. Give him our number, will you?"

"This is low, even for you," Cade hissed.

Deliah adjusted her sunglasses lazily. "I have no _idea_ what you're talking about, darlin'."

**Superficial**

"All right, that's it! Truce. I surrender. Whatever. You win!"

Deliah picked at a fingernail. "I win?"

"Yes!" Cade plopped down on a secluded bench behind the main house. "You can have the upgraded power couplings."

"And?"

"And the new music console for your room."

"And?"

He glared at her. "AND the raayan hide seat covers, okay?"

"Now, then. Was that so hard?" She flashed a playful smile.

He looked away.

"Don't pout." She ruffled his hair. "Deidre is waiting for you by the pool."

"Wait. You knew -"

"I know you _all too well_, pateesa," she answered, sauntering away.

(**A/N**: For the record, no offense is intended in the reference to same sex relationships in this set, it's just that Cade likes the ladies. He likes ladies a LOT. )


	7. Week 7

**Week 7: **_**Truth**_

(Mara Jade)

**No Turning Back**

The problem with truth is that once you learn it, you are never the same again.

It comes in many forms, truth - Facts. Knowledge. Understanding.

Acceptance.

For her, embracing the mantle of the Jedi was not the fulfillment of some nebulous destiny - Mara Jade did not believe in predestination - but rather the acceptance of the life she wanted. The choice she claimed as her own.

She knelt before friends and colleagues as the title of Knight was conferred upon her and the truth she had fought for years settled into her soul: that she was truly master of her fate.

**No Backing Down**

"No survivors." That's what the press release said.

The last remaining victim of the Yuuzhan Vong disease, the only other one living, was dead and Mara faced the unforgiving truth that she could be next. Any sensible woman would've started making preparations, writing final letters, putting affairs in order. And Mara considered herself to be a very sensible woman.

But not this time. She had never shied away from a fight in her life and she wasn't about to start now.

Mara crumpled the news flimsi in her hand and tossed it into the trash.

Never believe everything you read.

**Nowhere To Run**

Whoever said Truth Is A Liberator had never faced a devastating truth.

Palpatine had lied to her. The realization of his betrayal pierced and gutted her. Flattened her. Withdrew everything she held sacred in her heart and scattered it to the cold, mocking winds.

Skywalker sat there in damned, compassionate understanding and she knew his words were true, but she wanted to rip them from his throat and leave him bleeding and raw.

She tried to run. She ran until the daylight was gone and she fumbled, stumbling in the dark.

But you can't run from what is inside you.

**No One To Trust**

For as long as she could remember, he had extended his weathered hand to her and called her "child." Cushioned and secluded in her life of favor and privilege, she was safe. He was her world.

Until he was gone and there was no one to fill his place. She had no friends, no family. No refuge or confidant.

It was a hard galaxy - her service to the Emperor had taught her that - but it had never been hard for _her_ until the walls of her shelter crumbled and she faced the world for what it truly was.

**No Place To Hide**

Luke had once offered to help her recover her lost memories. She'd seen no point in doing so at the time, but now that she was older - now that she had a child of her own - she wondered. What had happened to her parents? What would it take for her to surrender her son?

Thus far, she'd lived with the lies told by her childhood caregivers. Lies, she could handle. Lies could be ignored.

The truth could be tragically simple. Or equally horrible. What if it was too painful to know?

That's the problem with truth. You can't un-know it.


	8. Week 8

**Week 8: **_**Afterwards**_

(Luke, Tionne, Ben - AU 'what if' with references to canon events)

**A Little Bit Of This**

The shadows had grown long and he found her sitting on a stone bench in the garden, flexing and extending her new prosthetic hand. Luke remembered the odd sensation of having something foreign but familiar attached to your body.

"Mind if I join you?"

Tionne looked up, smiling. "Of course not."

Luke sat down across from her as she continued to inspect her fingers. "Do they ever start to feel like your own?" she asked.

"Eventually," he answered with a small shrug. "Right before they get chopped off again."

She laughed, glancing at his newest prosthetic hand. "Wanna thumb wrestle?"

**Anything But That**

"He's a good boy," Tionne murmured, holding a holo of Ben and Mara. "You'd be proud of him."

It had been one year since Mara's death and her friends had gathered in quiet memorial. Tionne settled on the lounger beside Luke. "Mara called me sometimes," she started hoarsely, "in the middle of the night when Ben was a toddler and couldn't sleep. Did she ever tell you that?"

Luke shook his head silently.

"Ah, she wouldn't," Tionne whispered. "I miss her. So _much_." Carefully, she took Luke's real hand in her own. "If you ever need to talk…"

"Thank you."

**Not For Nothing**

There was nothing to be said. Nothing to be done. Luke, Ben, Kyle and Corran lifted Kam's body from the ground and carried him into the shelter.

Tionne stayed, kneeling in the grass, her skirt soaked with her husband's blood. One by one, the children joined her. For some, he had been the only father they'd ever known and he had died protecting them.

Darkness fell and Ben gathered the children. Wrapping their small, shivering shoulders in blankets, he led them to their tent.

Tionne remained and Luke joined her, kneeling in the dark until the cold break of day.

**Everything Else**

Tionne glanced up at the soft knock on the library door. "Come in."

Luke entered, carrying a pitcher of steaming liquid. He smiled hesitantly, stopping just before reaching the desk where she was preparing the next day's lessons. "I made some hot chocolate, but I think I made too much…" He gestured with the tray.

"Oh," she stood, motioning him toward one of the oversized chairs facing the fireplace. "Thank you! Please, join me."

Curling up in the opposite chair, she sat and sipped and talked, watching the fire until she fell asleep on what would have been Kam's birthday.

**What Matters Most**

"Dad?"

"Yes," Luke answered, slicing the gizka steak on his plate.

"I've been thinking," Ben said, inspecting his fork, "that it would be okay if you wanted to ask Tionne over for dinner."

Luke stopped mid-slice and put his knife down. "It's not like that, son."

"I know, Dad," he answered hurriedly. "I didn't mean it was 'like that'." Ben shifted in his seat, struggling for the right words. "I just think it would be okay - I think _Mom_ would think it was okay – if she came for dinner."

Wordlessly, Ben placed his hand over his father's in acceptance.


	9. Week 9

**Week 9: **_**Defiance**_

(LEGACY comics – Morrigan Corde)

**Necklace**

Stupidest damned thing she'd ever heard of. What the kriff was that fool boy thinking to go charging into the Sith Temple alone? Morrigan picked up the "necklace" that was actually a holoprojector and fastened it around her neck. It was just like something her late husband would have done. Too stubborn for his own good, that man. Like father, like son.

She'd read the reports of the Sith attack on Ossus. It was that defiance that had gotten Cade's father killed.

Well, it stopped now. There would be no father-son repetition this time. Not if she could help it.

**Earrings**

Ear pieces would have been less conspicuous, but they didn't allow for photographic documentation and she needed every advantage she could get. The facial discs would blend into the black and red tattoos painted on her face to a certain extent, but she doubted any Sith used them. All the more reason to keep the hood of her black cloak pulled forward as she walked boldly into the Temple. Luck was with her. The Archive was guarded by a lone Adept who died silently after retrieving the floor plans for her perusal. She clicked the comm discs and started recording.

**Watch**

She would liked to have cursed the Jedi for the dogma that had driven her away from Kol and Cade. She would have cursed Kol's "friends" for abandoning Cade to pirates. She would gladly curse the Sith for sinking their talons into her son. But, in the end, she couldn't curse any of them because they had been there when she hadn't.

She had no regrets. She'd made her choices and lived with them every day. Cade could blow his life on drugs and booze and women and she'd live her life apart.

But she would not watch him fall.

**Belt**

Who said clothes don't make the woman.

Tossing her belt and boots into the closet, Morrigan shimmied out of her green jumpsuit, grabbing a bottle of black hair dye on the way to the shower. A quick hair and eye color change followed by dark makeup and red nail polish all wrapped up in an Imperial uniform...

and "Nyna Calixte" would meet her paramour, Moff Veed, for breakfast that morning. He would eat, discuss his meeting with "Morrigan Corde" – leaving out the part where he'd propositioned her - and he'd be none the wiser.

Men. They really were that easy.

**Ring**

She'd never worn it, but Kol had given her a ring on their wedding day. A silly, sentimental gesture, but he was like that sometimes. Maybe it was one of the things she'd liked about him. Maybe she'd even loved him.

The other men...

They were what they were and she lost no sleep over them.

Kol had been her first, though. He'd given her more than he should have and she'd broken his heart in return.

Closing the drawer that hid the untarnished ring, she squared her shoulders and headed for the door.

Time to go save their son.


	10. Week 10

**Week 10: **_**By numbers**_

(Talon Karrde, Shada D'ukal)

**One**

The first kiss was a joke. Literally. Once a year, business aboard the _Wild Karrde_ came to a halt for Corellian Fleet Week Festival and everybody who was anybody in the Smuggler's Alliance was there. By tradition, any captain caught without a drink in hand when the Heron Horn sounded was obligated to capitulate to his crew.

Shada D'ukal was later informed that Talon Karrde had never been caught empty-handed until the year that she attended on his arm. Coincidence? Possibly. But he indulged the chants of "Kiss her!" without hesitation and the kiss didn't end when the Horn stopped.

**Two**

The second kiss was in the privacy of his cabin and, if asked to recount the experience, she'd remember that she'd been shaking. Maybe it was because she'd been burned by men before. Maybe it was because she and Talon were alone and she was wondering if he'd meant it when he'd held her in his arms at the party. Or maybe it was the earnest way he looked at her, the reverent way his lips brushed her fingers, the gentle way he cradled her head… Maybe because everything about him told her that he'd meant every second of it.

**Three**

The third kiss was on the dance floor at Luke and Mara's wedding. During the reception, they danced at an appropriately chaste distance to stave off gossip, but after the new couple made their departure and the lights went down, he led them into a discrete corner and pulled her close. His suit coat was stiff against her satin dress and she brushed her fingers through his hair as they swayed together. Under the cover of darkness and foliage, he leaned down, trailing his lips lightly over her neck and bare shoulders and she no longer cared who saw them.

**Four**

The fourth kiss burned her mouth when she pressed it against his feverish forehead. He was alternately hot to the touch or drenched in cold sweat, all the while protesting that he wasn't sick and did not need a nurse. Damn stubborn man. She called a doctor even though he told her not to and threatened to put him in a Baragwin headlock if he didn't take his medicine.

He tossed fitfully in his sleep and she held his hand and wiped his face with cool cloths. Two days later, her name was his first coherent word when he awoke.

**Five**

The fifth kiss started in the weapons hold and moved into the cargo bay. The rest of the crew were out on a supply run and they were getting ready to join them, but somewhere in the midst of checking the levels on blaster charges, the guns and comms suddenly seemed to lose importance. The travel bags were forgotten with the ammo and their jackets got discarded among the spare engine parts. They made it to her cabin, barely, before shedding boots and belts - everything else ended up tangled in the sheets.

The kisses after that? She lost count.


	11. Week 11

**Week 11: **_**Short stuff**_

(R2-D2)

**Bite the Bullet**

"Wait, wait, wait! I think it'll be all right. Just...just let me test it." Balancing on one leg, Luke lowered the toes of his right foot to the ground. "See, Artoo? It's fine. You don't need to help, so you can put that away."

With a _woooooo_, Artoo-Detoo retracted his fine implement arm.

"Now, we'll just - OW!" Jerking his right foot off the ground with a yelp, Luke hopped around awkwardly in a circle.

_too-doo?_

"Yes, it hurts!"

_twee-deet?_

"Yes, you can get the splinter out!"

Artoo extended his needle and Luke flopped on the ground with a groan.

**Break the Ice**

"Who are you and what are you doing on our ship?"

_dot-too-deet_

"What'd he say?"

"Says he belongs to Cade," Deliah answered, kneeling beside the astromech.

"Cade don't own no droid." Syn leveled his blaster at the silver dome.

_till-nee-pop_

"Says the Jedi and Yuuzhan Vong gave him to Cade."

"That's crazy talk. Ain't no Vong around here and Cade hates Jedi." Syn cocked his gun.

_nik-twee_

"On Ossus."

"Ossus? Nothing's on Ossus no more. Thing's got loose wires. We're ditching it."

_nee-doot-tee-da-DOO_

"He says Cade flies like a maniac."

Syn pulled back, considering. "Well, he got that part right."

**Knock on Wood**

"Now, listen." Mara palmed Artoo's datapad and deliberately punched in a series of numbers. "These are all my private comm codes. You contact me if Luke gets into any trouble. Any trouble at all. You got that?"

_doo-dep?_

"No, don't call Leia. Leia's busy. Call me."

_tee-neet-dat?_

"Because Luke shouldn't be going on this stupid mission alone."

_noo-deedle?_

"Why aren't I going with him? Because he said it's a Jedi thing. And I'm not a Jedi."

_kwooo?_

"Of course he'll be fine."

_keel-nit-doo?_

"Would you stop asking me questions and just say you'll do it?"

_nee-dit_

"Good. And...thank you."

**Off the Hook**

"Artoo, go tell Captain Solo that I most certainly do _not_ require an escort to the banquet. I am perfectly capable of attending state functions on my own."

_ooo-tee-nit_

"Is that what she said? Well then you tell her Highnessness that I never had any intention of offering to escort her in the _first_ place."

_bwert-nit-dee_

"No intention of --? Why that...

Then you tell that twit of a nerfherder that I wouldn't have said yes _anyway!_"

_twee-doo-bat_

"Is that so?

Then you tell her: _Good!_ Chewie and me got engine repairs to do."

_nil-deet-noo-dot_

"Fine!"

_too-net_

"Fine!"

_woooooo_

**Back Seat Driver**

Inspecting the tangle of wires behind Artoo's access panel, Cade sat back on his heels. "You need me to fix what where?"

_twooo-det-nil-din-beep_

"You sure?"

_noooo-twi-dot-wrooo_

"Yeah, but you got some really stoopa wiring here."

_tee-loooo_

"Why am I not surprised that Luke rigged it?"

_BWAT!_

"E chu ta! That hurt! Calm down. Didn't mean to disrespect the Great Luke Skywalker."

_grat-net-do-twee-dit_

"Just cool your jets. I'm almost done."

_ree-looo_

"There." Cade closed the panel and wiped his hands on his pants. "Fixed?"

Tweedling to himself, Artoo rolled in a circle experimentally.

_bool-deet-noo_

"Whaddaya mean, 'Deliah does it better?'"


	12. Week 12

**Week 12: **_**Consecrated **_

(VECTOR comics – Celeste Morne)

**Saint**

He heard the snap-hiss of her lightsaber only seconds before she appeared, brandishing the yellow blade. Planting her feet strong in the stance of a warrior, she stood between the monsters and the children huddled behind her.

"There's too many," he yelled. "My men will be here any minute to blast down this wall. You cannot fight them off alone!"

Her voice was calm over the snarls and growls. "I have to try, Commander."

The rakghouls kept coming and he cursed his drained blaster. "It's a suicide mission, Morne!"

"Maybe. But I'm a Jedi. And this is what I do."

**Sinner**

Dark Side power poured from her, unleashed by the Sith talisman around her neck. She'd known the Force her entire life, but never like this - never the raw rush of pleasure and pain coursing through her veins like narcotic flames. She opened her eyes and monsters stood where human soldiers had just been, still wearing pieces of their armor.

"What have you done, Celeste?" Zayne's horrified whisper dropped her to her knees and she clawed at the talisman, retching.

"I couldn't stop..." She panted. "Couldn't control it." Reflected in a patch of ice, her eyes glowed red. "Please...kill me."

**Savior**

She fell against the wall and Zayne caught her, struggling not to jerk his hands from her burning skin. Power thrummed through her and bled over into him. Dark power. Oppressive. Suffocating. He could drown in it. Instead, he gripped her even tighter and pushed his own power into her. Everything light. Everything good he could think of...

and the Dark retreated as her eyes faded from yellow to blue.

"Come on, Celeste. I think I know how to keep you safe until we can get you free of that thing."

He pulled her down the corridor toward the stasis chamber.

**Killer**

His bare hand brushed her neck and she shivered under his power as he touched the talisman, his eyes boring through the metal.

"Will you do it?" Celeste asked hoarsely.

Cade withdrew his hand, slipping it back into his glove. "Yeah. I'll destroy it. And the pet Sithy ghost."

"How?" She needed to know.

He shrugged. "Everything breaks. You just have to know where to strike."

She exhaled, releasing a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"How do we get it off you?" he asked.

"When the time comes," she looked him dead in the eyes. "You kill me."

**Martyr**

"You sure about this, Morne?"

The air whipped around her as she turned to face Cade. He held his lightsaber hilt loosely, studying her.

"The living Sith here have given Muur power and I...will soon lose myself. I am a Jedi, but four thousand years is long enough for one mission. I wish now only to go into the Force with my soul intact." Closing her eyes, she licked dry lips. "Remember your promise, Skywalker. The galaxy will be safe from him when our work is done."

The blade pierced her heart painlessly...and Zayne's voice called her through the wind.


	13. Week 13

**Week 13: **_**No Day But Today**_

(Luke, Mara, Ben)

**Hold Back the Darkness**

"To the next Skycrawler. Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Glasses are lofted around the room in a toast and Mara warms with Luke at her side and Ben in her lap.

"Better take advantage of that perch, Ben," Leia says, grinning down at him. "Your mommy's tummy will be too big for you to sit there, soon."

Ben smiles back. "That's okay, Aunt Leia. I'll share with my baby brother."

"A brother? Are you sure?"

"Oh yes," Luke answers. "Ben is quite certain that it's a boy. He even has a name picked out for him: Kol."

"A toast to baby Kol, then."

**Take A Stand**

"Stop fighting, Mara!" The fetal monitor crashes to the floor and Cilghal calls into the next room. "Luke!"

Luke runs in, faltering with only a hitch in his step at the sight of his wife bleeding on the bed.

"Hold her down," Cilghal commands.

"Mara," he takes her wrists and presses them firmly to the bed. "You've got to stop fighting and let Cilghal help."

"She can't," Mara gasps. "I can do this...like with Ben...I can save him..."

"Mara..."

"Oh gods, Luke. It hurts..."

Luke wipes her forehead with a cloth and holds her. She's never lost a fight before.

**When You're Lost**

Ben curls up in Leia's lap in the waiting area and she strokes his hair soothingly. It has been hours with no news and Han and Jaina take turns pacing the floor.

"Your mommy said that you helped pick out the clothes for baby Kol," Leia says quietly.

Ben nods, looking toward the door. "Yes," he answers distantly. "But he can't wear them."

"Of course he can -"

"No." Ben shakes his head. "He's gone with grandpa."

"Grandpa...?" Fear pierces her gut and Jaina clutches her chest, trembling.

The door opens and Cilghal enters with a bowed head. "I'm sorry."

**No Solid Ground**

They tell her that it wasn't her fault. Mara clasps her hands limply over the crisp sheets. They tell her that there wasn't anything she could have done differently. The sun streams in the window, warming her face. They tell her that something was wrong with the baby and that he would not have survived. She reaches for a drink of water and knocks the cup off the table with a splash. They tell her that she will not be able to have any more children. She looks full into the light where her future will wait...and remembers to breathe.

**There's Only Us**

A rose bush enters the room, attached to a small child.

"He picked them out himself," Greer says, carefully guiding Ben, who is balancing the giant arrangement in both hands.

"Woah, there, big guy!" Luke jumps up from his seat beside Mara's bed and takes the flowers, laughing. Greer nods to Mara and slips out of the room.

Ben climbs up on the bed and faces Mara with earnest sincerity. "Are you okay, Mommy?"

Tucking Ben under one arm and holding Luke's hand with the other, she smiles. "I am, sweetie. As long as I have you two, I'm perfect."

**A/N:** The final prompt reminded me of the song "No Day But Today" from the musical RENT:

_There's only us,  
There's only this,  
Forget regret - or life is yours to miss.  
No other road,  
No other way,  
No day but today._


	14. Week 14

**Week 14: **_**"One bright spot…"**_

(The Force Unleashed - Starkiller, Juno Eclipse)

**Whispering**

It started so quietly that she couldn't even say when it began. A subtle look. A tentative touch. His hand lingering over hers for just a moment too long as she worked the controls. The gnawing fear that she pushed out of her thoughts and pretended did not exist until he came back safely from each mission. Cold faded into warm. Bitterness bled into acceptance.

She doesn't remember when her feelings shifted silently toward affection but she remembers that it was right. For the first time in more years than she cared to count, she was on the right path.

**Haunting**

He was so focused. So singular. So damaged. They had that in common. Regret was the level on which they first connected. In serving the Empire, they'd both done terrible things. She never had to ask why he cried out in this sleep at night for it was a sound she recognized all too well. She heard the screams of the people who died under her command at Callos.

But Starkiller –

Darth Vader was the Master that he served without question or hesitation. She didn't want to know what he heard - what he saw that tormented him in dreams.

**Lingering **

One kiss.

She could still taste it. He had never known intimacy – he had lived his entire life so alone - and whatever she'd expected when she pulled his lips to hers, she had not expected passion in return. His hands had moved slowly up her back as she'd leaned in to his tightening embrace. He'd burned with promise – with the intensity of what they could have. What they could be. A lifetime lived there on the ship's ramp over the Death Star.

One kiss.

It was all they had – all they would _ever_ have but somehow, it was enough.

**Echoing **

He found Juno wasting in an Imperial prison - a life of loyalty to the Empire rewarded with months of neglect and starvation. When he carried her to safety, she saw a new determination behind his eyes.

She found Starkiller in the snow – battered, beaten and left for dead by the Master he'd served with unwavering devotion. When she knelt at his side, he told her his real name.

In the wake of betrayal, they found purpose and clarity. A new destiny. New hope.

With conscience as their only guide, they took the first hesitant steps toward the light together.

**Murmuring**

She thought of him every day. His alliance – The Alliance – grew with the steady momentum of a wave gathering beneath the ocean's surface. His family crest flew as the flag and freedom fighters rallied beneath the scarlet emblem, most never knowing the name of the man who had given his life to birth the Rebellion.

From wherever he was in the Force, she hoped he could see them. She hoped he knew that his sacrifice had not been in vain. Most of all, she hoped that the future would be a place where Galen Marek could have lived in peace.


	15. Week 15

**Week 15: **_**In other words**_

(various AUs)

**Restrained**

"We can't, Anakin."

"Why not?"

"Because..." His breath was hot on her neck. "We'll get caught."

"They'll never find us here." Sinking his fingers into her thick hair, he cradled her head and pulled her closer.

"My Master..." she started, but his lips closed over hers and the protest died on her lips, drowned by a dizzying kiss.

There was such promise in his embrace. This night could be everything she'd ever imagined, if only she'd let go.

Tugging his tunic open, she slid her hand against his bare chest and he breathed her name in a hoarse whisper, "Barriss."

**Controlled**

Leia Organa stared at her father in quiet desperation.

"Absolutely not," he declared, shoving the Senate application across his desk. "You will not be a Senator. You will stay here on Alderaan and marry the man your mother and I have chosen for you."

Biting her lip, she struggled not to let her voice shake. "Please, Father. I know I could do so much _good_ -"

"I said, no!" Bail stood abruptly, knocking his chair backwards. "You have no place in politics and that's the end of it. Now go back to your lessons. Tomorrow, you will meet your betrothed."

**Defined**

"I cannot stay long," she whispered, returning his earnest kiss. "He thinks I'm on an undercover mission."

"I understand," he answered, pulling her into his bed, deep in the bowels of the _Executor._

There was no time for gentle gestures or sweet murmurings. Like everything about their affair, the coupling was fast, blistering with intensity. It was a distraction that neither of them needed, nor could they resist.

In every other way, they lived for their Masters, but this they claimed as their own. For the Emperor's Hand the one called Starkiller, the pleasure was worth the risk of retribution.

**Resolved**

Deena Shan twisted her hands nervously in her lap, swallowing to wet her dry, constricted throat. "Luke, I - I need -"

Her voice broke and he leaned across, taking her hand. "It's okay, Deena. Take your time."

"I need to tell you something." Licking her lips, she took a deep breath and spoke quickly. "I'm pregnant. And it's yours. And...I'm keeping it."

Fighting tears, she dared not look at him but he came to her. Kneeling in front of her chair, he kissed her fingers tenderly and said he was glad and she finally did cry in grateful relief.

**Unlimited**

The One Sith gathered in the Great Hall, bowing as Lord Krayt ascended to his throne. Cade, alone, knelt at his feet, immersed in a wave of dark side power as Krayt ignited his saber and named the son of Skywalker as the sole heir to his throne.

At their Lord's command, Darth Talon joined him. Wrapping her lekku around his neck, she spoke in velvety tones, "The galaxy is yours now, my prince." Desire spiked and he rose, pulling her possessively into his arms. Bonded in spirit and flesh, her voice continued without words: _We can kill him together. _


	16. Week 16

**Week 16: **_**The Psychology of Skywalkers**_

(Skywalker family)

**Bend Over Backwards**

Stage lights flashed on and the audience burst into applause as Dr. Fil ascended the steps and took up the microphone.

"Thank you! Thank you, ladies and gentlemen!" He waved, straightening his tie. "We have a very special group of guests with us here today. Please give a warm welcome to the Skywalker family."

Clapping politely, the audience turned their attention to seven chairs arranged on the dais and the guests emerging from the wings.

"We know it was no small feat getting here," Dr. Fil said, "and we thank you Shmi, Anakin, Luke, Leia, Ben, Kol and...is one missing?"

**Axe To Grind**

"Yes, we're missing one," Kol said with resignation. "Just get started without him."

"All right." Dr. Fil nodded, taking his seat. "And I understand that your spouses are all here with you?" The camera panned to the front row where Padme and Mara nodded politely, Han rolled his eyes, and Morrigan spoke up, "That's EX-spouse."

"Very good." Dr. Fil turned back to the guests. "Now, you have all come here today to discuss the difficulty of being a member of this family. Anakin, would you like to start?"

"Sure. They," Anakin glared down the row, "say _everything_ is _my_ fault."

**Rise and Shine**

Shmi patted her son's hand. "Now, Ani -"

A crash from stage right brought startled yelps from the audience as the seventh member of the family staggered onto stage and plopped into his seat with a groan.

Dr. Fil looked down at his cards. "And this must be Cade."

Cade grunted.

"Is he high?" Ben whispered.

"Probably," Luke answered, rubbing his forehead.

"If I may," Leia started, sitting up straight. "I'm pretty sure that THAT," she pointed to Cade, "is _not_ your fault, Father."

"Like YOU," Kol pointed back at Leia, "have _so much_ room to talk about _your_ son!"

**Tongue and Cheek**

The stage erupted in shouts.

"Now, look!"

"It's the TRUTH!"

"..._completely_ uncalled for!"

"You can_not_ blame me..."

"If you'd raised your own _kids_ -!"

"YOU let Ben train with him!"

"He was _deceived!_"

"He was _evil!_"

"..._drug_ addict there!"

"Everyone!" Dr. Fil waved his hand in the air. "Everyone, PLEASE! Let's calm -"

The audience started chanting: "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

A new host arrived, snatching the microphone from Dr. Fil's hand, and the chants changed to: "Ger-ry!" "Ger-ry!" "Ger-ry!"

Black-clad bouncers attempted to circle the guests but backed down when the stage lit up with the glow of multi-colored lightsabers.

**Without A Doubt**

Blaster shots from both sides of the stage reverberated over the cheering crowd as Mara and Morrigan stomped up the steps, guns leveled, followed quickly by the equally irate Padme and Han.

At the sight of Morrigan in her low-cut bustier, the chants changed to: "Take it off! Take it off!"

Gerry grinned, pointing to the dancer's pole.

Morrigan shot him.

The Skywalkers, faced with a wall of armed and dangerous significant others, powered down sabers and took their seats.

Except Cade, who was snoring.

Shakily, Dr. Fil reclaimed his microphone. "I think we might need to call in professionals."


	17. Week 17

**Week 17: **_**Release**_

(LEGACY comics - Jariah Syn, Deliah Blue)

**A/N:** I blame this one on _Legacy _issue #37. The Syn/Blue crack!ship is sooooo close to being canon, it squeaks!

**Yearning**

Jariah would catch himself watching her - Deliah - the woman he'd always thought of as a sister. He'd catch himself noticing the fresh smell of her hair, the way her clothes accented her curves, the times that her smile would make his whole day suddenly seem brighter.

He'd watch her with Cade and wonder how it would feel to have her play with his hair or trace the tattoos on his arm with her fingertips. She'd go to Cade's cabin and he'd go back to his holovids or games and try not to think about what was happening in that room.

**Jealousy**

She said it wasn't jealously. That Zeltrons don't 'do' jealous. But Jariah saw the way she looked at Cade with other women and how quickly she turned away. Deliah could have any man any time she wanted, but she always went back to the ship to find something to fix.

She could say it all day long, but he remembered holding her that night on Had Abbadon while Cade had been with Rae. She'd clung to him and told him how bad it hurt...and all he could do was stroke her hair and tell her it would be all right.

**Possession**

He'd offered to keep her company some night if she got lonely, but he never expected her to knock on his cabin door.

She came in wearing something soft and clingy and her smile or eyes or pheromones made him weak in the knees. He sank to the edge of the bed and she straddled his legs, touching him until his shirt was off and her clingy, soft something was on the floor. He kicked off his boots and pulled her close. Then she kissed him, toying with his hair, and it felt better than he'd ever imagined it would.

**Addiction**

She was sweet and tangy and soft and she made him feel like a god instead of a man. She left his cabin early in the morning and he stared at the ceiling the rest of the night, inhaling her scent lingering on his pillow.

The next day, she only winked at him but his mouth went dry and his heart thudded so loud he just knew Cade would hear it.

Cade.

Jariah could predict his best friend most days, but this would go down one of two ways if he found out: Cade would congratulate him or kill him.

**Wanting**

He'd catch her watching him and he'd drag his eyes away and go about his business like nothing ever happened. Or, that's what he hoped it looked like, anyway. They worked and joked and argued like always until the day he found her in the engine room alone and she smiled, all covered in grease, and said, "Cade's asleep." It was all she needed to say. Burying his fingers in her hair and pressing his lips against her neck, he guided her to a semi-clean ledge where she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.


	18. Week 18

**Week 18: **_**Ladies Who Lunch**_

(Deliah Blue - set before and using characters from "Party Girl")

**Red**

"Deliah?"

"Yeah? – _Ouch!_" I was concentrating so hard on the engine in pieces at my feet that I hadn't heard Dad come in the garage and banged my elbow.

"Get cleaned up, Dee," he said, looking down. "Your Ma is coming to take you to lunch."

"But Dad!" I wiped the blood on my pants. "I'm almost finished with -"

He held up his hand in that gesture that meant 'no arguing.' "You can finish it tomorrow. Now, you know there's no changing your mother's mind about these things, so you'd best go in the house and get ready."

**Brown**

My Ma was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Tall and graceful with dark eyes and long, wavy brown hair, she was also the most formidable woman I knew. She didn't walk into a room, she made an entrance and there weren't many people who weren't riveted to her every word.

I was in my room when she arrived, straightening my clean clothes, and the first thing she did was take my hands and inspect my fingernails for grease. She always did that, so I'd scrubbed my hands extra good and they were so clean my nails were shiny.

**Black**

"Deliah!" She hugged me tight and kissed my cheek. "You look absolutely lovely, darling! Ready to go?"

Turns out that it wasn't "lunch," it was a luncheon with her friends. And not just any friends, but society friends who smiled and simpered and talked about things like flower gardens and who had been seen with who at the latest holovid premier. I would have died of boredom if my cousin Deidre hadn't been there.

Deidre was dressed completely in black - she picked a new color every month - and had brought a friend from school. I really hoped they weren't dating.

**Yellow**

His name was Derrick and he was gorgeous! Deep, red skin, muscles bulging in all the right places, and a smile that twisted my gut sideways.

"_Deidre!_" I whispered sharply, pulling my eyes from his fitted, yellow shirt. "Is he with you?"

"Used to be," she grinned, "but we're just friends now. He transferred in this semester and I thought you'd like to meet him."

Did I ever!

Deidre nodded and he sat down beside me. "So you're Deidre's cousin?" he asked, offering his palm.

"Deliah," I answered, taking his hand. Stars, he smelled good. "_Very_ pleased to meet you."

**Blue**

He put his arm around me, dipping his head down so that his breath was warm on my ear. "I hear you fix things. I got a speeder out back that makes a funny noise on ignition. Think you could look at it for me?"

I leaned in close, tucking my shoulder under his arm. "Be happy to."

My Ma glanced in our direction and pursed her lips to suppress a smile.

His ignition, and everything else, worked just fine and the sun was coming up in the sky when we peeled ourselves from the back seat of his speeder.


	19. Week 19

**Week 19: **_**Ghosts**_

(Cade Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker)

**Forever**

Flopping on his bunk, Cade sneered at the shimmering figure in the corner. "What do YOU want?"

"Nice to see you again, too," Mara answered, taking a seat on a worn out lounger. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Like I can say no," Cade grumbled at the ceiling. "Lemme guess? Luke's tired of lecturing me, so he sent you?"

"Actually, no. But now that I'm here, I think I'll stay a while. Nice thing about forever is that there's no hurry to be anywhere." Leaning against the wall, she propped her boots up on a dusty crate. "Let's talk, Skywalker."

**Always**

"Talk, huh?" He grunted. "I know what you're going to say. I've had these 'talks' before and they're always -"

"You don't _know_ anything, son. Now, shut up and listen," she interrupted. "You did good."

"Look, lady, I -" The retort died on his tongue, replaced by a look of confusion. "What?"

"Big, bad pirate can't take a compliment?" Mara smirked. "I said you did good, against Darth Krayt and Lord Muur. You could have turned to the dark side and had the power to rule the entire galaxy if you wanted, but you didn't. Not everyone can say that."

**Never**

He stared at her, trying to figure out if she was joking, but her expression remained serious. Finally, he mumbled, "I hate Sith. Would never join them. Don't want anything to do with them."

"Now, _that_," she said, leaning forward, "is where you're wrong. You don't want to submit to their authority, but you like their power."

"That's a lie -"

"Farthest thing from it. You _like_ the dark power and you use it whenever you please, for whatever reason you please. How long do you think you can keep that up?"

"What's it to you? It ain't hurtin nobody."

**Maybe **

"Maybe not," she answered. "We're a lot alike, me and you. Took me a long time to figure out who I wanted to be and even longer to decide to serve something bigger than myself. So tell me something, Skywalker. Drugs, liquor, women - is that really all you want out of life?"

"It's enough," he glared. "Haven't found anything better."

"I think you have," she answered quietly. "The memory of your father haunts you. He died for that something better. For you."

He looked over and her gaze had grown distant. "I know a little something about that, too."

**Eternity**

He knew the story. His grandfather Ben had spoken often of his mother and once, only once, had he ever mentioned that terrible day when he'd held her body in his arms.

Cade stared at the floor, knowing that she was watching him. "Was it worth it?"

"Yes," she said solemnly. "Love is never wasted, Cade. _You_ don't have to be wasted."

"You think like my father - that I should be a Jedi."

"No, I don't. Being a Jedi is nothing sacred. Be who you are, but ask yourself this: When you enter eternity, what will your life have meant?"


	20. Week 20

**Week 20: "Careful the wish you make. Wishes come true...not free." ~ **_**Into the Woods**_** by Stephen Sondheim **

(Various)

**Milk **

Sitting in the kitchen, Luke gulped a glass of blue milk to hide his rage. What right did Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru have to tell him that he couldn't go out with his friends? Everyone was meeting at Tosche station tonight - everyone! He'd be the only one there because he had stupid chores to do. Stupid vaporators. Stupid droids. Stupid farm. "I wish I didn't live here! I wish I lived with someone else!" He shouted in anger.

*

Staring at the scorched and broken skeletons in front of his burning home, he'd have given anything to have them back.

**Fruit**

Mara gazed listlessly through the viewport watching the stars streak by. One year. Her baby boy was one year old today. She remembered everything: the miraculous discovery that she was pregnant, the immediate and fierce protectiveness she felt for the tiny being in her womb, the agony and exhaustion of fighting her illness to keep him safe, and the joy - the pure, unadulterated joy she'd felt when they placed the healthy baby in her arms.

*

Discarding a tasteless dried berry husk, she sent a holo of her and Luke to the Maw where their son waited in someone else's care.

**Meat**

"Don't want to be a Jedi," young Cade Skywalker mumbled, picking at his gizka steak.

Kol looked up sharply. "What did you say?"

"I said I don't want to do this," he glared at his father. "It's hard and everyone else is better than me. I can't get it right."

"You have a duty, son. You belong here at the Academy."

"Kriff the Academy!" Cade shouted, throwing his plate against the wall.

*

A death stick rolled out of his hand in the belly of Rav's ship and he wondered if that wall was still standing after the massacre at Ossus.

**Water**

Jaina planted her fists firmly on her hips, facing down her twin brother. "You're a stupid head! A big, fat stupid head!"

"Oh yeah?" Jacen rounded on her. "Well...you're dumb! I wish I didn't have a sister!"

"You take that back!" She demanded indignantly.

"Will not!" He taunted.

Jaina felt her face twist to fight back tears. "I'm telling Mom!"

"Fine!" He stuck his tongue out. "Be a baby tattle-teller!"

*

She hadn't told her mother just to spite him. A children's quarrel a lifetime ago. Splashing water on her face with trembling hands, she slid down the wall and wept.

**Cloth**

Through the fog of pain and blindness, Anakin Skywalker felt his cape tear away as he fell to the floor. For a terrifying moment that lasted an eternity, he feared that Luke was already dead. If Luke was gone, then his life was for nothing. His death was for nothing.

Darkness beckoned him to surrender finally to despair when the gentle presence he'd learned to recognize as Luke washed over him and he felt his heavy helmet lifted. As he took his final breaths, his son knelt beside him and held his hand.

It was all he'd ever wished for.


End file.
